TAL Season 3 (Division 1): Gameweek 10 Review

Robert Fielder’s two-goal salvo was not enough as Gremio FC scripted a miraculous comback against Yatagham Internazionale

Division 2

Athlos build up for promotion

Athlos United continued their quest for promotion with a well-deserved victory over Joras. Though Joras took an early lead through Varun Vijayaraghavan, Athlos turned things around before the stroke of half time through goals from Anurag Negi and Imdad KP. Debutant Anurag Negi impressed with his box-to-box midfield display. Athlos are now in second place and are in prime position to secure promotion. Joras stay put in 8th place although they would be disappointed with this result.

Score: Athlos United (2) – (1) Joras

Division 1

Kougen Kikou thrash Mercurial

FC Kougen Kikou’s stunning revival showed no signs of abating as they took a sorry Mercurial FC side to task, beating them 5-1. Though Mercurial took the lead in the 4th minute, FCKK were the dominant side in the game and equalised in the 13th minute. Though it took them till the 33rd minute to take the lead, it was something that was waiting to happen as the Mercurial defence finally wilted under the constant pressure.

That the Japanese side had an astounding 20 shots on goal tells its own tale. They were up 4-1 by the 41st minute and the icing on the cake was provided by Akiyama a minute before the final whistle. This result means Mercurial are now relegated to Division 2 for next season and will have to use the off-season to script a comeback to Division 1.

Score: FC Kougen Kikou (5) – (1) Mercurial FC

Gremio stun Yataghan with a riveting comeback

Most people will think that a 3-0 lead till the 49th minute will be enough to win them any game and Yataghan Internazionale could be forgiven for thinking the same way, but they were in for a rude shock as Gremio FC came back from an improbable situation to score 4 goals in 11 minutes to leave Yataghan flabbergasted and eventally win the game. This will be a strong contender for one of the best games in TAL history in terms of pure entertainment but the ramifications for Gremio FC are greater.

While such a victory will be a huge morale booster for any side, Gremio have also taken a giant stride towards safety and climb above the drop zone. Yataghan meanwhile will be kicking themselves in the back side for having let a 3 goal lead slip but have nothing much to worry about when it comes to their position in the table

Score: Yataghan Internazionale (3) – (4) Gremio FC

Supernova dismantle Project 7

Supernova FC guaranteed themselves of a third-placed finish by beating Project 7 in a rather lop-sided affair. Supernova raced to a 2-0 lead by the 9th minute, thanks to brace from Floyd Fernandes, Mica Levy the provider for both these goals as he stamped his class on the game. He then turned into a scorer himself with a well-taken 14th minute goal. Project 7 briefly threatened to come back into the game when Prithvi Sagar scored in the 19th minute but that is as close as they came in the match. Project 7 drop down to 7th place although they are guaranteed of an 8th place finish irrespective of the results of the final round of games.

Score: Supernova FC (3) – (1) Project 7

Parikrma secure title!

Parikrma wrapped up the title in style when they handsomely beat Mavericks FC, a rather expected result. Their dominance this season has been underlined by the fact that they are the first team to win the league before the final game week, which renders their game against Horizons FC next week into a dead rubber.

They will however, look to win that game too, in their quest to remain unbeaten this season. They have been the most consistent team in the league by far and rightly deserve to be crowned champions. Mavericks, in contrast become the second team to be relegated to Division 2, following Mercurial FC’s relegation earlier in the day.

Score: Parikrma (4) – (1) Mavericks FC

Horizons settle for second

Horizons FC settled for second place for the second consecutive season despite beating Samba FC in the penultimate game of the day. Though it took them 50 minutes to break the deadlock, Horizons ensured that their frustrating form this season did not continue as Sushruth Gopal and Philip Babalola got onto the scoresheet. This result also condemns Samba FC to the relegation play-off spot and they now face the prospect of facing the third-placed team from Division 2 in a bid to stay afloat.

Score: Horizons FC (2) – (0) Samba FC

Rare Dare deliver a last minute package to Flipkart

Rare Dare FC continued their amazing run of form with a last-minute victory over Flipkart FC. Rare Dare are in fifth position now, a mighty improvement for a side that was relegated last season. Just when it seemed like the game was headed for a stalemate, the vibrant Arjun Anson scored in the dying seconds to break Flipkart hearts and secure an amazing victory. Tight defensive displays from both sides meant that a draw was probably a fair result but Flipkart’s failure to take some chances earlier eventually cost them.